I am expecting my 4th child in a few weeks and I trying to think of some things I can do now to make my life a little easier later lol. So...I am looking for some good casserole recipes that I can put together now and freeze. So please share if you have any ideas for me! TIA!
Just be careful w/ the garlic if you plan to nurse! ![]()
Chicken Pot Pie, Enchiladas, Chicken and Rice, chili, beef stew, baked ziti
When I was pg I made a ton of stuff and froze it, and dh accidentally didn't close the freezer door all the way and we lost it all.
Homemade Mac & Chesse freezes well, too. (If you use a bread crumb topping, use butter instead of margarine)
I like to cook Bulgar (takes 15 mins)(or couscous-takes 5 mins) after its cooled layer it in a lasagna pan, add frozen veggies (your choice, I like the harvest mix with zucchini, bell pepper, onion and tomato), raw chicken breasts (or pieces) seasoned (with your choice of seasoning, I use oregano, thyme, parsley, basil, garlic, and s&p). Top with your choice of spaghetti sauce (I use ricotta tomato garlic). Seal with foil and freeze. Take straight from the freezer to the oven still sealed in foil. Bake according to how you would normally for raw chicken removing foil last 15-20 mins. (If I use breast I bake at 450 for 55 mins and then check with the meat thermometer). You can also add cheese after you take off the foil, or before you freeze. It's really tasty, and really quick to originally assemble as well as to take out of the freezer.
Chicken fricasee is also really quick: season and brown chicken pieces. Set aside and let cool. Add frozen vegetable mix (the peas, carrots, potato pieces, green bean mix). Seal and freeze. Make mashed potatoes and freeze (they freeze well if you mash them, adding only butter, then after you reheat them, add milk to acheive the desired consistency; otherwise use full fat cream before freezing. Otherwise, they don't freeze well.) When reheating, take the chicken/veggie mix from the freezer, warm in a saucepan and add a jar of white sauce (Ragu makes a good one, so does Newman's own). Reheat the mashed potatoes and serve the fricasee over the mashed potatoes. You can also use rice or noodles instead.
When we were young my mom used to buy the big french loaf from the grocery store, put ham and swiss cheese on it, weight it down between two pans and freeze it. (it looked like the panini's today)After it was frozen she would wrap it in foil. Then on a busy night, she would take it from the freezer and bake it in the oven with the foil still on. It would come out crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. She'd cut the big loaf into slices. Then we'd put on dijon mustard or mayo and eat it with a salad. It was a really quick dinner that was one of my favorites.
HTH
Congratulations and good luck!
I never use a recipe for casseroles...It's usually made up of what I find in the fridge/pantry ![]()
My casseroles usually include: meat, veggies, mushroom soup, mushrooms, cheese, pasta or other starch, and seasoning.
You could do scalloped potatoes, chili, mostaciolli (sp?), mac & cheese, enchiladas, tuna/noodles, chicken/broccoli, pork/green beans, etc etc...
I don't know about casseroles, but I have a meatball recipe that I usually double and then I freeze half of it and cook later. Works really well. If you want the recipe I use let me know, otherwise I am sure it would work with any recipe. But, the lasagna was the first thing that came to my mind, it just gets better!
Don't forget to freeze some cupcakes and small cakes so you have a quick and handy dessert too.
Lasagna is a great idea! Freezes well. I always stick mine in the oven directly from freezer and it is great.
My favorite casserole is Tator Tot Casserole. I've never frozen it, but it's so easy to make you can do it as needed. In the bottom of my casserole dish I spread out hamber. Than you top with a can of cream of musroom soup. Top that with tator tots and follow with cheese soup. Pop in the oven for about an hour and yummy!! I always serve with some veggies on the side.
If you are in a hurry, can always fry up the burger ahead of time and bake the tator tots, then you can just bake for a short period of time (of course, that defeats the purpose of quick and easy...).
Another great idea is to make up some pots of soup to be frozen for later. We freeze soup often and just throw in the crock pot when we are ready. Our favorites are bean, noodle, and chili.
I don't know about casseroles, but I have a meatball recipe that I usually double and then I freeze half of it and cook later. Works really well. If you want the recipe I use let me know, otherwise I am sure it would work with any recipe. But, the lasagna was the first thing that came to my mind, it just gets better!
Don't forget to freeze some cupcakes and small cakes so you have a quick and handy dessert too.
Oh, please share your meatball recipe!! I owuld love to try it! Thanks!
One of my family's favorites is green chilli burritos. I mix up a double batch of the filling and freeze part so that I can quickly thaw in the mirowave when I need a quick supper.
Thanks for all the great ideas everyone!
Leily~ I would love to try your meatball recipe!
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